October 29, 2004
Genesis 40-41
“HE PUT HIM IN CHARGE OF THE WHOLE LAND OF EGYPT”
I want you to imagine that we are in an art museum this morning. We are standing together in front of a large tapestry hanging on a wall. We’ll start off standing quite close to the tapestry. As we study the details before us, we discover that we are looking at the story of an individual and his life with all of its ups and downs. The various events of this man’s life are portrayed in the scenes in the tapestry before us. A fascinating story unfolds before our eyes.
But then the guide asks us to take a step back. As we do so, we realize that this man’s story is part of a larger story, the story of a large extended family which is also revealed in the scenes in the tapestry.
Again we are asked to step back. Now we begin to see that the part of the tapestry we are examining is really only a part of a much larger one that tells the history of a nation. We are looking at the trickling stream at the headwaters of what will become a mighty river.
Finally, we step back one more time. Only now are we able to see that the tapestry we are studying is much larger than the history of a single nation. The title that hangs over the whole reads: GOD’S UNFOLDING PLAN FOR THE REDEMPTION OF THE WORLD.
These various points of view or perspectives are necessary for us as we approach the Scriptures and the book of Genesis in particular. Today we are going to focus once again on the details of an individual’s life in the story of Joseph. It’s a fascinating story, full of pathos and human interest, of tragedy and triumph. But we must never forget that it is part of a larger story of what God is doing. Next week, the story will expand to include his family once again, and then the implications for the nation and the redemption of the world.
We left Joseph last week in prison in Egypt. After being sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, he had found success as the steward of a large Egyptian household. But after being falsely accused of making sexual advances toward his master’s wife, he was thrown into prison. In prison, his natural leadership qualities along with God’s special favor have caused him to rise to the top where he is functioning as the de facto administrator of the prison.
Chapter 40 of Genesis begins by telling of two of Pharaoh’s top officials who fell out of favor, his chief cupbearer or wine taster and his chief baker. Now, whether they actually committed acts of offense against Pharaoh, or whether they were innocently accused we have no way of knowing. But the outcome was that they were thrown into jail, the same prison where Joseph was. In fact, Joseph was given special responsibilities to tend to them.
After some time in prison, Joseph entered their cell one morning to find them both in an agitated frame of mind. “Why the long faces?” he asked.
“We both had dreams last night, but there is no one here to interpret them for us,” they responded.
Joseph responds confidently. “Only God can interpret dreams. Tell your dreams to me.” The chief cupbearer goes first. His dream is a simple one. There was a vine with three branches in front of him and as he watched, kind of like a time-lapse movie, the vine budded, blossomed and produced mature grapes. The cupbearer looked and saw that he was holding Pharaoh’s special, ornate cup in his hand, so he reached out and took the grapes and squeezed them into the cup and then served the cup to Pharaoh.
Joseph immediately interprets. “The three vines represent three days. In three days’ time Pharaoh will bring you out of prison and restore you to your position and you will be serving him his wine just like before.”
A bright ray of hope has now opened before Joseph’s eyes and he takes a deep breath and says, “When this happens, and you are again in Pharaoh’s presence, please tell him about me, and get me out of this prison. I am an innocent man.”
The chief baker meanwhile has been greatly encouraged by this conversation and the positive interpretation of his friend’s dream. So he tells his dream. “In my dream, I was carrying three baskets of baked goods on my head, and in the top basket were special baked items for Pharaoh. But as I was taking them to him, the birds were eating the bread out of the top basket.”
I imagine there was a bit of a pause before Joseph interpreted this dream. “The three baskets again represent three days. After three days, Pharaoh will take you out of this prison, he will take off your head and hang your body from a tree, and the birds will eat away your flesh.”
Sure enough, within three days, Pharaoh was having a big party to celebrate his birthday. During the celebration, he ordered his two officials to be brought out of prison. And just as Joseph had said, the cupbearer was restored to his official duties and the baker was executed and hung on a tree.
We can imagine Joseph’s state of mind in the days that followed. Each time the gate of the prison creaked open and someone came in from the outside, his heart would leap and he would rush to see if there was any message or news from Pharaoh’s palace. Day after day he was disappointed. No news. No release papers. Nothing. In fact, we’re told in rather bald terms: The chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.
Joseph spent two more complete years in that prison. I suspect that all hope had died. Then suddenly one day, officials burst into the prison. “Joseph! Hurry! Come! We’ve got to get you cleaned up! Pharaoh is asking to see you.” Before he knew it, Joseph was being shaved and bathed and fitted with clothing suitable for a court appearance. I am sure he was full of questions. I am not sure how many answers he received. I suspect the officials were too busy instructing him on how to conduct himself in Pharaoh’s presence. With his head still spinning, he was ushered into the presence of Pharaoh himself.
After the appropriate bowing and scraping before the throne, Pharaoh spoke. “I’ve had a dream and none of my magicians or wise men can interpret it. But my cupbearer here tells me that all you have to do is hear a dream and you can interpret it.”
The moment has arrived. All the disappointments, the bitter betrayals, the years of unnoticed faithful work and service. Was Joseph ready? He was. He opened his mouth and he spoke with quiet, humble confidence. “I can’t interpret. But God can,” he said.
So Pharaoh narrated his dream. We read his words in Genesis 41:17-24. (Read)
By the power and wisdom of the Spirit of God, Joseph immediately knew the meaning of the dreams. “Both dreams really have one interpretation,” he responded. “God is telling you what he is about to do.”
Joseph continued with his interpretation. The seven fat cows and the seven plump ears of grain represented seven years of prosperity and plenty. But these would be followed by seven years of drought and famine. In fact the years of drought and famine would be so severe that they would blot out all memory of the years of plenty. The reason for the two dreams was to indicate the certainty of the events and the fact that they would commence immediately.
Now something remarkable takes place. Here is a man, straight from prison. He’s only 30 years old. He is standing in front of arguably the most powerful man in the world of his day. And after giving Pharaoh the interpretation of the dream, he doesn’t stop talking. He goes on to give unsolicited advice about what Pharaoh should do with the information he’s just been given. He dares to speak in the role of an adviser to the ruler.
“You need to appoint a wise and discerning man and put him in charge of this matter to store up food in the good years in order to ensure the survival of the nation in the seven bad years to follow.” His boldness almost takes the breath away. But it is a holy boldness, spoken by a man who has walked closely with God, and does not fear men.
Not only does Pharaoh respond favorably to the advice, but he immediately appoints Joseph to take the position. The passage goes into great detail and emphasis about the exalted position to which Pharaoh appoints Joseph, and the authority he gives him. He is made the second most powerful man in all of Egypt. He goes on procession with Pharaoh, riding in the second chariot, with all the citizens commanded to bow the knee in front of him.
It’s a great story, isn’t it? It equals the best stories in human literature. From the prison to the palace. From the dungeon to the throne. And it’s not over yet. We’ll pick it up again next week when Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt to buy food, and bow down to this powerful Egyptian ruler, not recognizing him as their brother Joseph. But that’s for next week!
Let’s pause and reflect on the spiritual, life truths we can take away from this story. I’d like to highlight four of them.
Building on the opening illustration of the tapestry, I would state the first truth this way:
Truth # 1: THERE IS A MASTER WEAVER.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again in this series. The main character in the book of Genesis is God. From the very opening verse: In the beginning, God… to the closing words of chapter 50, God is the prime mover and worker. Now there are chapters and sections where his name does not appear very often. But always he is working. His sovereignty is guiding events. He is the magnet that pulls the iron filings into the patterns he has ordained.
The sovereignty of God is clearly proclaimed in these chapters in front of us, in the words of Joseph himself, who speaks almost in the role of a prophet to Pharaoh.
Look at 41:25: God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
And again in 41:28: It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.
And then in 41:32: the matter has been firmly decided by God and God will do it soon.
God is here identified as not only the one who knows the future. He is not just foretelling what will happen. The future is spoken of as “that which God is about to do.” The Master Weaver is weaving according to his master plan.
I am reminded of the words of Isaiah the prophet in Isaiah 14:24:
The LORD Almighty has sworn,
“Surely as I have planned, so it will be,
and as I have purposed, so it will stand.
Then on to verse 26-27:
This is the plan determined for the whole world;
This is the hand stretched out over all the nations.
For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?
His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?
Our God is a sovereign God. He is sovereign in nature. He is sovereign over nations and rulers. He is the Lord of history. And he is sovereign over the details of our lives as well. As the song goes: Our God is an awesome God. He reigns from heaven above.
Truth # 2: GOD EXALTS THE HUMBLE.
In the book of I Peter 5:5-6 we read these words: God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
The story of Joseph, particularly these two chapters, is a classic case history illustrating this truth. God delights in exalting the humble, and giving his grace to those who humble themselves under his hand. Not only does Joseph’s story illustrate this truth, but his example gives us a clear picture of what this humility looks like.
1. Humility = acceptance of God’s sovereignty in our lives.
This is clear in the verse in I Peter 5:6: Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand. To humble ourselves under his hand implies that we accept his sovereignty in our lives, and we trust his working in our lives.
I am sure that Joseph chafed at times and questioned what God was doing. But the over-riding testimony of his life is one of accepting the sovereignty of God. Joseph was the clay in the potter’s hand, accepting the sovereign right of the potter to work as he chose. And when he looked back on his life, he was able to say: “God did this,” and say it without bitterness.
2. Humility = faithfulness to the tasks and opportunities in front of us.
This is really a repeat of a point in the sermon on chapter 39, but it is worth repeating. What is clear is that in accepting God’s sovereignty, Joseph was not passive. He actively served God wherever he found himself whether in Potiphar’s house or in that awful prison. It was this faithfulness that God was able to transform into the quiet confidence and competence that Pharaoh and his court found so appealing, and led to his being ready for the responsibilities of government when they came his way.
3. Humility = giving God the credit.
I find it very revealing and very significant that Joseph took no credit for himself. When the court officials had their dreams, Joseph claims no special wisdom or power. Do not interpretations belong to God? were his words. And before Pharaoh, he was even more specific. I cannot do it. But God will give the answer. And in his interpretation he states several times: God has shown you what he is about to do.
Never once did he step out of the shadows and seek to take credit for himself. He reflected the glory where it belonged. To God alone.
4. Humility = patient perseverance under trial.
Again, we can’t say what Joseph felt. We only know that he kept on keeping on. Even from the moment when he thought his break had finally come, he had to wait another two years. Now, let me ask you. Is two years a long time or not? It all depends, doesn’t it? We talk about how fast time goes, and I am often amazed how often I realize another 2 years have passed. But I imagine that 2 years in prison is a lot longer than 2 years anywhere else. In all, Joseph spent 13 years as a slave and a prisoner. We are not sure of the exact division of time between the two. We only know he was 17 when he was sold by his brothers and he was 30 when he began his service to Pharaoh. 13 years! I know that’s a long time! Yet Joseph kept his faith and kept on faithfully serving.
That’s what I Peter 5:6 says: Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Part of humility and faith is trusting in God’s timing. Often that can be one of the most difficult parts, can’t it? If you’re like me, waiting is one of the most difficult things God asks us to do. Yet that is part of humility. It is displayed in patient perseverance. It is one of the marks of God’s faithful saints over the years.
Let’s look at how James puts it in James 5:10-11. Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance, (and I believe that James could have said Joseph here, just as well as Job) and seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
Joseph is a great model of that kind of patience and perseverance that marked the blessed prophets. And as he was driven through the streets of the ancient Egyptian capital in the second chariot, with all the people bowing before him, we can see what the Lord finally brought about. GOD EXALTS THE HUMBLE.
Truth #3: WITH PROMOTION COMES RESPONSIBILITY.
It struck me this week as I was studying this story, that I have often read this as though this was the end of the story. That now, Joseph got to go and live in the palace and he lived happily ever after. Well, he did get to go live in a palace. And I’m sure he did live happily. But he was a very busy man. He didn’t just inherit a position and a title. He inherited a huge job. And Joseph began immediately, taking his first survey trip around Egypt. He had to translate his ideas into working policies and strategies. The future of countless people depended on his ability to do his job and do it well.
I remember when I was a boy in our missionary kid school in Kenya. Every year, the school produced a school yearbook. It was a project done by the students, and at the closing assembly of the school year, the yearbook editor, one of the senior students, would stand up to give a speech and present the yearbook. I remember in grade school watching the editor giving out the books, and thinking to myself: I’d like to do that someday. That would be a really great thing to do. Give a speech and give out the yearbooks. But in my mind, I guess I kind of figured that those books just kind of produced themselves. That they sat in a cupboard all year, waiting for the editor to get them out at the end of the year and give them out.
Then, my dream came true. I was elected by my classmates to be the yearbook editor my senior year. But I quickly found out that there was a lot more to the job than giving a speech and handing out the books. In fact, I spent a large percentage of my senior year in the yearbook room and going back and forth to the press. You see, with the promotion came responsibility.
When God exalts us or promotes us, it is not just to put a polish on our resume or CV or to burnish the name plate on our door. He has a job for us to do, a role for us to fill, a task for us to accomplish. Let’s not confuse promotion with privilege. Promotion means first and foremost responsibility. It did for Joseph and it will for us as well.
Truth #4: GOD’S REWARD IS WORTH THE WAIT.
I think Joseph summarized it all very well when his two sons were born. You see, when Pharaoh promoted Joseph, he also gave him a wife, and soon two sons were born to him. I love the names Joseph gave to his sons, because they summarize his reflections on what God had done for him.
In Genesis 41:51: Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh (which means “to forget”) and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and my father’s household.”
Did you see that? With the reward, the promotion, the later blessing, God grace and goodness is so overwhelming that he has forgotten all his years of trouble. Not only that, but he has forgotten his father’s household. What does he mean by that? I don’t think it means that he no longer thinks about his father and his family. I think what he is saying is that during his years of trouble, he ached with longing to go back to his home and the life he had enjoyed there. But now, God’s goodness is so great, that even that longing has been eclipsed.
Then in Genesis 41:52: The second son he named Ephraim (which means “twice fruitful”), and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
I think that verse is a good place to conclude this message. Maybe you can look back on times of suffering in your life, and you are able to say with Joseph, “God made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
Or maybe you are still in the suffering. Maybe you’re still in the pit, in Potiphar’s house, or in the dungeon. Maybe you’re looking at the tapestry of your life, and you’re seeing it all from the back side, with loose threads and ugly knots, and you don’t have a clue what the picture is supposed to be yet. Can I suggest that you adopt this as your prayer? God make me fruitful in the land of my suffering.